BeeastFarmer

https://giphy.com/gifs/photobucket-demi-moore-themishkin-hS2tguWYRStJ6

I ordered one of those neck goiter things from Amazon. I chose one that has the Orion blue color. It came and it looks a little effeminate because it is very light blue. Do I keep it and wear it proudly in support of our GiGa, or do I succumb to gender stereotypes and return it and get a black one? decisions, decisions...

You gotta do what you gotta do, but know that you will be missed. Your posts are insightful without being overbearing. Don't let the rotten apple spoil the whole bunch.

Will you be joining in on that?

I plan on having a great time. My line of work makes me hyper aware of situations like this.

Sorry/not sorry for the double post, but I wanted to nit pick some mask issues I saw just a moment ago. I saw an Instagram story from Ohio Valley Coaster, which I think does a great job. Today's person on camera though, would have been much better off not wearing a mask at all. His mask was made of cloth, and was very loose. you could see it is not tight behind his ear. Therefore, he was constantly moving the mask above his nose when it fell down. Great for being conscientious! However, if he was an asymptomatic carrier, the virus would be excreted in to the fibers of his mask through his mouth and nose. Constantly touching the mask, then touching surfaces, it transfers the virus to them. The next person who touches that surface picks up the virus, and then touches their nose and boom...possible transmission. Wearing a mask is great, but wearing it properly is more important.

Everyone, head for your bunkers! @gforce1994 has identified Kings Island and surrounding areas as a death zone! He has ID'd Dollywood and Holiday World, what's next? Kentucky Kingdom and Six Flags Over Georgia?

Checking on @Hawaiian Coasters 325 and @collin.klopfstein…..are you guys ok?

Exactly. But my understanding is that you had the opinion that KK is a niche park and KI hasn't really considered it competition.

Maybe it was a random photo on Instagram.

I just hope we don't get a Plants vs Zombies type of thing if they redo Action Theatre. My opinion of that mess was not good. But then again, the people who like it can have it and keep the lines down for other things.

It's called competition. KI should covet every passholder they have. I could certainly say that KI has lost an amount of SPH in the wake of KK's reopening. I think you missed the point of what @SonofBaconator is saying. Leisure dollars are hard to come by. It might be 1000 gold pass holders in Louisville who don't renew and 500 from others areas, but that's $150k lost right there. That's a lot of money, even to a multi billion dollar company like CF. Add on meal, drink, and one time purchase, and you are approaching a half a million. And I am being very conservative with those theoretical numbers. So if half of the 1500 went for one day to KI, the total expeniture might be $100 for tickets, parking and extras. So that's only $75k. Better than zero, but still an overall loss for CF. KK usually has about 100k SPHs. Kentucky Kingdom reopened in 14 which is when KI got Banshee. Ki should have got another coaster that year anyway. Kentucky Kingdom added the flying scooters rod and the frog hopper. The next season, Kings Island added the flying scooters and a moon jumper (same ride, different theme). Kentucky Kingdom upgraded their water park when they reopened, Kings Island added new slides and new water park restaurant. Kentucky Kingdom got Storm Chaser, Kings Island got Mystic Timbers the next year, just three years after Banshee. Kentucky Kingdom has rallied around their food offerings, and have been recognized for having some of the best food in a park. Kings Island has really started to ramp up their food quality, too. And now, we get Orion, just three years after Mystic Timbers. It is not a direct response to KK, of course. I'd bet it has been slotted, or the idea of a GiGa has, for a while. KK will not get a GiGa. So, they will have to come up with other things to add to get/keep those SPHs from KI. Roller coasters are big investments--to get three of them in six years--I doubt that would happen if KK did not reopen. And the other things that KI has done are no coincidence. Since 2014, and my becoming an enthusiast, I have not noticed that KI has increased any marketing here in KY. I get both Lexington and Louisville TV where I live. KI commercials are rare, but are more frequent in Lexington that they are in Louisville. No billboards. No direct mailers. They have not even promoted Winterfest here. They have responded to KK's offers in Indy. Meanwhile, Dollywood and KK are sending out promo materials, billboards and having spokespeople on news segments on a regular basis. I have not seen anything about Orion or the reopening of KK on the local news shows, but this morning, I saw segments about this tweet on the Louisville local news and then at 10 am, the Lexington local news. KK will never be a KI. Ever. Even if a major operator like SEAS, SIX or CF acquired the rights to operate it. Ed Hart and the fair board have been quietly buying up land around the park, and as leases expire on land that the fair board owns, they are not renewing the leases. There is plenty of room for expansion now and in the future. Niche park or not, the new KK has had an impact on the KI we have today. .

^exactly. The PIC at KI/CF know they must innovate to stay the market leader. It's no coincidence we gotten the gliders, frog hop, food enhancements, Mystic Timbers and 3 roller coasters in 6 years. Kings Island is being very smart, so is Kentucky Kingdom. Both are doing a great job playing to their strengths. I don't live in Louisville, but the vast majority of folks I talk to who go to KK do not regard it in a negative light. They love the water park.

@Oldschool75...keeping it classy. As someone of a similar age, I am embarrassed for you.

There is still no proof that DW has a lax mask policy.

Watch out, @SonofBaconator, people will throw you to the wolves like they did me when I pointed this out a couple of years ago.

That was in response to @gforce1994's claim that DW has a lax mask policy because of some photos he said he saw on Instagram.

So some random photos=DW has a lax stance on masks?

Is it mean too?

Do you mean this coaster will be called Wonder Woman? No, KK is not a Six Flags park anymore, so they cant use that branding. That coaster is in Texas. I saw the YouTube video and it looks like a blast. I hope this is what KK is getting but it wont be Wonder Woman. Edit: I take it you really like Diamondback?

How do you know they have relaxed mask policy? Please provide your sources. Does every other establishment in Sevier Co have a stringent mask policy? Are there protests in Sevier Co? It sounds like you are going to be terrified of going into any public space if someone is not wearing a mask. Are you going to stay hidden away in a bunker for an indeterminate amount of time? I'll mask out of courtesy and the sense of security it gives others. But I am going to live life.

That is too easy of a challenge. I have done that several times at KI/CP and once at KD/Cwinds.

I don't remember the paint color from my youth, but I assumed it was more tan than brown from this picture that was posted on KISP yesterday. Of course, tech was not great back then, and lighting is in play. Photo courtesy of Jeff Joiner and posted on KISP's Facebook page 6/15/2020.

Isn't that the color the supports were painted when it debuted? Paging @KIghostguy

You realize that Dollywood just opened yesterday (the day you posted this), right? So hours after opening, you are making an assumption that cases of COVID 19 are spiking in Sevier Co? And many people who visit Dollywood are not residents of Sevier Co, as are many employees. I don't get your causation/correlation theory.